1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to, as novel and useful industrial products, a novel class of compounds that are modulators of receptors of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor type of subtype γ (PPARγ). The present invention also relates to a process for preparing such novel compounds and to their formulation into pharmaceutical compositions suited for administration in human or veterinary medicine, or, alternatively formulated into cosmetic compositions.
2. Description of Background and/or Related and/or Prior Art
The activity of receptors of PPAR type has been the subject of many studies. Mention may be made, as a guide, of the publication entitled “Differential Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Subtypes During the Differentiation of Human Keratinocytes”, Michel Rivier et al., J. Invest. Dermatol., 111, 1998, pp. 1116-1121, in which is listed a large number of bibliographic references relating to receptors of PPAR type. Mention may also be made, as a guide, of the report entitled “The PPARs: From orphan receptors to Drug Discovery”, Timothy M. Willson, Peter J. Brown, Daniel D. Sternbach and Brad R. Henke, J. Med. Chem., 2000, Vol. 43, pp. 527-550.
PPAR receptors activate transcription by binding to elements of DNA sequences, known as peroxisome proliferator response elements (PPRE), in the form of a heterodimer with retinoid X receptors (known as RXRs).
Three subtypes of human PPARs have been identified and described: PPARα, PPARγ and PPARδ (or NUC1).
PPARα is mainly expressed in the liver, while PPARδ is ubiquitous.
PPARγ is the most extensively studied of the three subtypes. All the references suggest a critical role of PPARγ in regulating the differentiation of adipocytes, where it is greatly expressed. It also has a key role in systemic lipid homeostasis.
It has been described in particular in patent application WO 96/33724 that PPARγ-selective compounds, such as a prostaglandin-J2 or -D2, are potential active agents for treating obesity and diabetes.
Moreover, the assignee hereof has already described PPARγ compounds and/or the use thereof in FR-2,773,075, which describes the use if PPARγ activator compounds in the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition, the composition being intended to treat skin disorders associated with an anomaly of epidermal cell differentiation.